1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a musical performance apparatus including: various acoustic musical instruments such as a keyboard instrument, for example, a piano and an organ, a stringed instrument, for example, a guitar and a cello, a brass instrument, for example, a trumpet and a trombone, a woodwind instrument, for example, a clarinet and a bassoon, and a percussion, for example, a timpani and a drum; various electric or electronic musical instruments such as an electronic organ, an electronic piano, an electric guitar, and a silent cello; and automatic musical performance apparatuses including a music box, and more particularly, the invention relates to a musical performance apparatus whose exterior (case) forming its outer shape has an outer face changeable in color.
2. Description of the Related Art
In traditional acoustic musical instruments such as a keyboard instrument, for example, a piano and an organ, and a stringed instrument, for example, a violins and a cellos, materials and colors of their exteriors as well as their outer shape and look are almost fixed.
Here, as disclosed in, for example, JU S61-76488 A, there has been proposed an electronic keyboard instrument structured such that surface panels different in color and pattern can be detachably attached to a desired face of its exterior (case).
In this electronic keyboard instrument, various kinds of surface panels can be attached to surfaces of a top panel, a front panel, side panes, and so on. The surface panel is made of synthetic resin, decorative sheet, plywood, or the like, and various patterns, pictures, and so on are printed on its surfaces, so that a user can select any of the surface panels that suits the user's taste, at the time of the purchase. Further, even after the purchase, the outer look of the musical instrument can be changed by replacing the surface panel according to a change of the interior of a room where the musical instrument is installed, seasons, and so on.
However, thus making the panel attachable/detachable to/from the outer face of the exterior poses restrictions on its structure and shape, and it is difficult to apply such a panel to a stringed instrument, a brass instrument, a woodwind instrument, a percussion, and the like having many curved faces. In addition, it has been difficult to fully satisfy demands that are different depending on users having different national characters, locality, sex, age, intended use, usage environment, and so on.
Further, it takes time and cost to replace the surface panel of the exterior of this electronic keyboard instrument. Moreover, even the genre of a played musical piece or a playing method is changed, the outer look of the musical instrument does not change and the way it looks to the audience does not change, which has not been very much attractive.